


The Notorious Hotel Incident

by Into_Evernight



Category: AFI
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - High School, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, High School, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-04
Updated: 2015-01-03
Packaged: 2018-03-05 06:43:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3109925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Into_Evernight/pseuds/Into_Evernight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Having been an unwilling overachiever for his entire life, Jade has never gotten to experience spring break the way most kids have. But when Adam’s family invites him on their annual trip to Florida, he finds the beauty in experiencing the world outside of responsibilities. His feelings grow for Adam, but Adam has his eyes set on the drifter bad boy that teaches them how to live like they’re dying. [Other pairings are Nick 13/Adam, Nick 13/Jade] [Trade fic for Kate/lurkeratleast]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1: I Just Wanna Get Away

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on AFIslash from 04/09/2011 to 04/30/2011
> 
> Kate and I were having trouble coming up with new ideas, so we decided to challenge each other with prompts, much like Secret Santa. Her prompts to me were:
> 
> 1\. Nick 13. If you could include him in any capacity I would be thrilled. If you could include him being with any of the dudes from AFI, I would love you forever. If you don't feel comfortable with that, that's also cool though.  
> 2\. Morning-after regrets.  
> 3\. Disgusting takeaway food.
> 
> Thanks to artemis for looking over my general planning for the story and helping me develop the plot. :)
> 
> Disclaimer: These are mere characters based on the members of AFI and Tiger Army (not the real members, duh). I do not own; I do not make money. No disrespect, harm, or libel is intended; this never ever happened (and never will) as this is 100 percent fictitious.

Jade drummed his pencil on the scratched-up desktop, eyes trained out the window as he stared with envy at the aerobics class running down by the front of the school. He would've given most anything to get out of AP Calculus right now, especially since Mr. Heillinger was about to hand out their graded pop quizzes. Normally, he would've felt more confident about it, but he'd recently contracted the worst combination of senioritis and spring fever; it was just too nice outside, too much like summer, and it didn't help that spring break started as soon as this class ended. The final blow came in the form of a highly distracting crush he had on his friend Adam, and how he was going to see Adam as soon as this class ended, and how he was going to _stay over_ at his house that night, before he, Adam, and his friend Davey all caught their flight to Florida the following day. His heart jumped, and he flicked his gaze to the clock on the wall, chewing on his lower lip in desperation. His brain had officially run away from him and it wasn't looking like it would come back for the rest of the year, graduation be damned. As a result, his grades had already taken a swift fall for the worse, but he couldn't muster up the motivation to apply himself, not when his legs were tingling to charge down the hallway at top speed, pushing over anyway who got between him and his goal—the exit.

A piece of paper fluttered on his desk bringing him back to the real world, and he looked up as Mr. Heillinger moved past him without so much as a glance in his direction. He figured it couldn't have been _that_ bad if he didn't get the standard bug-eyed stare of disapproval, so he carefully flipped the quiz over, and his stomach dropped to his toes. A hastily scrawled red _C_ dominated the top corner of his paper. Swallowing hard, he dropped it back to his desk. So much for that damn 4.0. He could kiss that goodbye, and maybe his scholarships too. He groaned softly, slapping the paper over so he couldn't see the multiple x-marks littering his quiz.

Mr. Heillinger cleared his throat, drawing Jade's attention back to the front of the classroom. "Judging by your grades, you've all stopped trying," he said, shuffling papers on his desk and finally moving to sit in his seat. Clasping his hands in front of him, he returned his stern gaze to his students. "Guys, the AP test is in three weeks. As of right now, I don't see how anyone's going to pass."

There was a deathly silence over the classroom, and no one but Jade dared to move a muscle. Nibbling his lip again, Jade snuck a glance at his classmates on either side of him. Most of them had their eyes trained on their desks, except for Derek, who had his cheek pressed against the desktop, fast asleep. Part of him envied that kid's complete indifference for this class, but part of him was dismayed _because_ that attitude _was_ wearing off on everyone else. Feeling self-conscious as his teacher's eyes bore into him, Jade quickly faced front again, silently praying Mr. Heillinger would stop before things got worse.

He didn't though. "I hope you'll study over spring break." There was a pause, as though he were trying to size the class up, trying to glare them into submission. Jade squirmed in his seat. "Because when we come back, we're going to have a practice exam."

A simultaneous groan resonated throughout the classroom. Some guy in the back uttered an obscenity, and it was all Jade could do to bite his tongue enough to contain the same word.

Mr. Heillinger stood up and faced the board, continuing, "Your homework for the break is the even numbered practice questions for chapters one through thirteen. You'll also complete the AP Study Guide I handed out earlier this week. It's due the Monday you return."

The class groaned louder, earning a sharp look from their teacher. Jade felt a hot swell of annoyance wash over him. It took everything in his power not to protest out loud, but to only shoot daggers at the back of Mr. Heillinger's balding head. The last thing he wanted was yet another break ruined by damn AP homework. It wasn't like he had too much of a choice though; his parents had forced him to take as many AP classes as he could fit into his schedule, saying it was free college credit. While this was true, he felt like he'd seriously missed out these past four years taking honors classes and participating in club after club. Fuck, even his summers had been filled to the brim with pointless activities and camps and college preparation. All he wanted to do was have a few damn days to relax. Was that too much to ask?

Apparently it was because a moment later Mr. Heillinger got up and began distributing another one of his god-awful packets. Goddamn, how Jade just wanted him to hurry the fuck up already. The nervous feeling trapped inside him had reached a bursting point, and all he wanted to do was _leave_ and go meet up with Adam. He twisted his pencil in his hands, scowl deepening as that damn aerobics class ran another lap by his window. Motherfu—

The bell rang for early dismissal, and the class went into an uproar. Papers went flying as the students all selfishly scrambled for the door, shoving past each other and tripping over book bags lying in the aisles. Mr. Heillinger didn't stand a chance, Jade thought with a smirk. He snatched his awful, stupid, cruddy-ass packet and stuffed it to the dark depths of his backpack. It wasn't due tomorrow, so he wasn't worrying about it.

Soon, he was squeezing through the doorway and out into the cooler air of the halls. He breathed a sigh of relief as he pushed past the flood of kids, edging towards his locker. Five seconds ago, that class had been the bane of his existence. Now he couldn't care less. Inevitably, it would hang over him until he stayed up all night rushing to finish his homework, but for now, he was too excited to be free. This was the first spring break he was going to spend doing something other than staying home or hanging around the skate park with his friends; this was the first spring break he was actually going to have a spring break, and properly too. The best part? His parents couldn't say no. He was eighteen. And he smirked to himself as he remembered the looks on their faces, the things they'd said. Even after all this time knowing his friends and their families, and even though they knew Adam's parents would be there, they still couldn't seem to trust them, saying things like _oh, you'll just go get drunk_ and _what if you get hurt_ and—well, everything parents said when they were unreasonably worried.

He raked all his belongings out of his locker and into his backpack, struggling to zip it up before tossing it over his shoulder. Just as he had finally made his way out through the front doors into delicious freedom, a hand clapped heartily on his back.

"Hey, still staying over tonight?"

The voice sent a cold shiver down his spine, and he turned around to see Adam grinning up at him. For a split second, he was startled, and a little flutter made itself known in his chest, limbs reducing to jelly. Quickly, he composed himself, forced himself to answer as casually as possible. "Yeah, of course." He readjusted the strap as the weight of his backpack suddenly increased. Unable to help it, he smiled back warmly—a bit too warmly.

Adam didn't seem to notice though. “Okay, cool. Are you giving me and Davey a ride?" He jammed his hands in his pockets, grin widening.

"Sure." Jade pretended to shrug it off as he turned around, jerking his head in the direction of the parking lot. Adam followed wordlessly.

Although he and Adam had known each other for awhile, it wasn't until the past few months that he'd become hyper-aware of his every word and his every move and just— _him_. There was no point in denying what he felt, but that didn't mean he was actually going to admit it to anyone other than himself. Davey had only brought it up once when they were alone, when he was high on soda pop and laughing until he spewed popcorn all over Jade's clean sheets, but after one good punch to the stomach and the silent treatment for two weeks, he didn't dare mention it again. And whether or not Adam knew? Well, it didn't matter because he hadn't said anything. Jade was secretly glad. Though he really _really_ liked him in the strangest way possible, he didn't want to even try to go there because it might get all...weird or something. And fuck knew he'd rather keep things the way they were than have Adam freeze him out. Not to mention now was not the best time to bring it up since he was going to be spending the entire spring break _with_ Adam thousands of miles away from home in Panama City Beach. So he hoped Davey continued to keep his mouth shut just a little longer; he was bad about blabbing things.

Tearing himself from his thoughts, Jade slung his backpack up on the hood of his beat-up Ford station wagon and sighed heavily through his nose, digging through his pockets for his keys. Adam was already patiently waiting by the side, smile thinning. And though Jade wanted to ask if something was on his mind, he couldn't muster up the courage. Instead, he did his best to ignore the look that tugged at his heart as he unlocked the doors, feeling the heat of a blush creeping up his neck and ears.

He shifted, feeling self-conscious again, feeling awkward. Adam was still looking at him—no, looking wasn't the right word. Watching. He felt like he had to say _something_. “Do you wanna ride shot-gun?” he asked lamely, pointing a thumb over his shoulder at the passenger side.

For a moment, a flash of uncertainty shadowed over Adam's face, and he opened his mouth, then closed it. He only mumbled something about Davey and slipped into the back seat, shutting the door behind him and leaving Jade confused. Had he said something wrong? He was starting to feel bad, that crummy lead feeling he got whenever he had the flu, followed by dizzying panic at the thought of Adam finding out. Maybe he'd done something to give himself away, but he didn't know what it could've been. He would've started on some stupid angsting downward spiral had Davey not seemingly popped out of nowhere, eyes narrowed in Jade's direction.

“The fuck?” he snorted, stepping on the end of his skateboard and grabbing it by the truck. “You're already trying to kick me to the back seat?” He shot Jade a fake wounded look as he slunk past him and hopped into the much coveted passenger seat.

Realizing Davey had witnessed that whole awkward moment, Jade felt his cheeks flush again. One glance at the poorly concealed smirk on his face was enough to tell Jade he'd seen it. _Oh no_. Slowly, he rounded the car, stomach sinking further with each step.

It wasn't until he'd started the car that Davey said anything more. He was kind of hoping he wouldn't, but today didn't seem to be his lucky day after all. “So, uh, what's up with you today?” Davey may have been facing the window, but Jade could see his slight frown reflecting in the glass.

“What do you mean?” Jade gripped the steering wheel tighter, trying to play it off as casually as possible, despite the fact he _knew_ what was coming.

“You know, the whole _do you wanna ride shot-gun_ thing.” Jade cringed as Davey imitated him and shot him a questioning glance. But what was worse than that was actually what went _unsaid_.

“Oh, um, that.” Jade faltered, trying to say something—anything—that didn't sound remotely suspicious. “It's just you always ride up front and...” His brain froze up, leaving him to fend for himself.

Davey mumbled something that sounded like gibberish, sulking and picking at flecks of nail polish. He fell strangely quiet. Usually, he would've been talking non-stop or messing with the windows—which Jade always hated—or popping in a tape and screwing with his stereo. Even though Davey could be annoying, he was still Jade's best friend, and the absence of this annoying behavior or any protests was what made him realize something wasn't right. Starting to feel a little worried, Jade turned on the radio for him, finding his favorite station. With an angry snort, Davey promptly swatted his hand away and flipped it off again, opting to cross his arms and stare out the window in silence.

This lasted for several tense moments before Jade finally worked up the nerve to say something. The last thing he wanted was a pissy Davey. “What's wrong with you?”

Glowering in his direction, Davey said darkly, “I can't go to Florida with you and Adam.”

Jade nearly slammed on brakes. “What?” He glanced in the rear view mirror at Adam, who'd perked up as well, and then back at Davey, who remained solemn, avoiding eye contact—and with good reason too. They'd been planning this damn vacation for far too long for him to cancel now at the very last minute. Adam's parents had already bought their plane tickets—and now Davey was bailing. “Why?”

Looking uncomfortable, Davey played with his shoulder belt. “Um, my parents.”

“But they were cool with it before,” Jade protested, staring at Davey almost pleadingly. No, Davey couldn't _not_ go. He _had_ to be there. Otherwise the whole trip would be full of near fuck-ups on Jade's behalf concerning his stupid crush on Adam and the accompanying nervousness. If Davey wasn't there to balance him out and stomp on his foot every time he was about to say something retarded, no one would keep him in check. Besides, Davey was the one who always found the most interesting people to talk to, and the most interesting things to do. It would be boring without him.

“Yeah, well, they changed their minds,” Davey griped. He sank farther into the seat cushions, scowl deepening but hardly hiding what he really felt—a sadder sort of disappointment. “They want me to go to fucking Italy. They got the plane tickets and everything.”

“But Adam's parents bought you a plane ticket,” Jade said, frowning at the car in front of him.

Davey shrugged. “They paid them back already.”

“Wait, how long did you know about this?” Jade stole a glance and caught Davey looking sheepish right before he turned away.

“Um, a few weeks,” he mumbled.

“A few weeks,” Jade repeated, gritting his teeth. “Dammit, Davey, why did you wait until now to say something? We're leaving tomorrow!” If he hadn't known better, he would've slapped the horn in frustration.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Davey looking apologetic, tough punk-guy facade melting. “Sorry,” he whispered, voice wavering and light and meek. “I thought I could talk them out of it. I really wanted to go with you guys.”

Jade blew his hair out of his eyes, the frustration gradually leaving him. It wasn't something Davey could help. It wasn't like he'd done it on purpose because he didn't want to go with them. From the back seat, there was a little sigh, and Jade made the mistake of glancing in the rear view mirror at Adam's blue eyes staring back at him. The look was too intense, and he quickly tore his gaze away before it completely unnerved him. It was getting harder and harder to stay calm around him.

Before Jade could say anything more—or even think straight again—Adam spoke up, an edge of disappointment softly coating his words. “It's okay, Davey. There's always next year.” He patted Davey's shoulder, offering a little smile, though he was obviously just as disappointed as Jade and Davey were.

Davey returned the smile, forced and ghost-like. “Yeah, if my parents don't fuck that up too.” He paused, eyes darting from Adam to Jade, and an impish grin curved his lips up. “Course, if I end up being a shut-in like Jade, I can always bail when I'm eighteen.” He snorted and punched Jade in the shoulder, which earned him a sideways glare.

“Yeah, very funny,” Jade grumbled, overly aware of the fact that Adam's hand was still on Davey's shoulder. That in itself was just as irritating as Davey's comment had been.

A tense silence followed, and Davey's eyes dulled in confusion, trying to lock with Jade's to, no doubt, silently ask him why he was suddenly pulling away. All Jade had to do was glance from Adam's hand to Davey's eyes, and a look of realization crossed his face. Unfortunately, it also passed through his lips.

“ _Oh_ , right. Sorry.” He shrugged Adam's hand off, flashing him a ridiculously obvious look of disgust just for show.

The heat rising to Jade's cheeks could've been enough to melt him into a puddle right there, and he really wished it would've. Why did Davey have to be so painfully obvious and embarrassing about everything? He grimaced at the sound of Davey's half-stifled snickers, and he caught a glimpse of that cheeky little smirk of his. It was all he could do to keep himself composed, to keep himself from showing Davey how he'd wipe it right off his face—literally, if that had been physically possible.

If Adam realized what their exchange meant, he certainly didn't show it. And thankfully he changed the subject right then and there, before any more damage could be done, and before Jade could pull over and drag Davey off. “So I guess you're not sleeping over with us, huh?”

_That_ wiped the smirk off Davey's face. “Uh, well, no.” Sheepishly, Davey rubbed his neck, then ran a hand through his shaggy black hair. “My grandparents are coming over for dinner tonight. Technically, I gotta be home as soon as school ends but, uh, they don't have to know—”

“They'll know,” Jade interrupted, turning down the street into Davey and Adam's subdivision. “You just need to go home. I'll be nice and drop you off right in front of your house.” Now it was his turn to give Davey a toothy grin, and he gladly pretended not to see the desperation burning in Davey's nearly black eyes.

“Oh, c'mon, don't be like that,” Davey begged in this petulant, _childish_ tone, the whine making his voice sound higher and more girlish than Jade had thought was possible.

Jade pulled over to the curb in front of Davey's house, leaning over and giving him a pointed look. “Maybe I'll be nicer to you next time,” he whispered hotly in Davey's ear, “if you don't come so close to spilling the beans.”

He pulled back, and Davey smiled at him weakly, eyes apologetic. First grabbing his backpack and board from under the seat, Davey flung the door open, back turned to Jade as he mumbled, “Got ya.”

Stepping out onto the curb, he let his hand linger on the top of the car as he glanced from Jade to Adam then back to Jade again. For a moment, his pleading gaze was enough to make Jade feel bad, to make him want to grab him by the wrist and fucking kidnap him so he could come with them anyway, despite the stunt he'd pulled a few seconds ago. After all, he could sympathize with being forced to stay around the parental units for an entire spring break, and he knew Davey wasn't going to be partying it up with a bunch of hot Italian kids like he’d want to. No, he was going to be dragged around the damn place to learn about his _heritage_. That was the way his parents were. They were all...weird about that stuff.

“So, um, have fun on your trip,” Davey finally muttered, glancing down at his shoes. His mouth twitched, but it wasn't in a smile.

That look on his face was too much. Jade was an inch away from saying _fuck it_ and carrying out the kidnapping plan when Adam spoke up, leaning over the seat. “Bye. See you next week.”

“Yeah.” Davey laughed dryly, rolling his eyes. “See ya.” With that, he slammed the door and trudged towards his house, shoulders sagging.

“Well, that sucks.”

Jade hadn't been aware he'd said it until it was there, hanging in the air. No doubt Davey was the life of the party, and he wasn't sure how they were going to have half as much fun without him. Something deep inside him swelled to an aching lump that rose in his throat, leaving behind a roughly hewn hollow where it'd once occupied somewhere in the cavity of his chest. He wanted Davey there, almost too badly. But it couldn't be helped, so he just watched to make sure Davey got in his house all right before putting his car back into drive, turning around in the driveway to go in the direction of Adam's house.

The car ride was silent, quite unlike the months past when he and Adam had had at least something to talk about. It was true—they were both shy, but they weren't typically _that_ shy, at least not around each other. But now there was a different dynamic, and it felt strange and foreign. Beforehand their friendship had provided a comfortable sort of warmth, just like an early spring day where it had been warm but not too warm, and it had been cool but not too cool. At this moment, it felt like autumn, with dead branches of browns and grays and a temperature that was just a bit too cold. He didn't know what was going on but he had a feeling it was his fault somehow, and had to do with his _different_ behavior, with his ridiculous, stupid crush that felt like he was strapped to a roller coaster going out of control; he just couldn't seem to act normal around Adam anymore.

Adam didn't say anything to ease the tightness. And it wasn't until they'd pulled into his driveway and gotten out of the car that he finally did speak up at all. “Thanks for the ride.”

“No problem.” Jade felt the lump growing in his throat, and his chest burned, buzzing with electricity.

“So, you're still staying over, right?” Adam's lips twitched in a smile, and he played with the strings on Jade's duffel bag, which lay sprawled across the back seat.

“Duh.” Jade reached back to grab his bag from Adam, but when he did, his fingers brushed against Adam's thigh. Immediately, he felt his face heat up, and Adam's face turned pink as well.

Part of him wanted to apologize for it, but it died on his tongue, chalky and ashen, his teeth clenching around the organ as he completely froze up, as his blood slowed to a standstill then rushed hotly enough to make him dizzy. Quickly, he shook it off and turned away, popping open the locks and getting out of the car as fast as he could. That had been one of the more awkward moments of the year. He hoped with all his heart Adam hadn't noticed the way he'd reacted. _Fuck_ , he sucked at keeping secrets.

The rest of the afternoon went by in a similarly awkward fashion. Instead of trying to work around it, they ended up parked in front of the TV watching all the horror films Adam owned on tape. Jade made several bowls of popcorn; it kept their mouths occupied so there was no threat of talking. He'd sorely miscalculated the effectiveness of it though because it did little to alleviate the tension. And he didn't know what to do to make it better, so he kept ignoring it, hoping it'd go away. The sad thing was that he suspected the whole ordeal was all in his head, and if that was the case, there was no solving any imaginary problem because Adam wouldn't have known its existence anyway.

By bedtime he had yet to rid of that ball of tightening heaviness in his chest. He was so close to calling Davey just to get his mind off things, but he imagined neither Davey nor his parents would be very happy about a phone call at this time of night. It was all he could do to leave the phone where it was, to follow Adam up the stairs and down the carpeted hallway to his bedroom.

Silently, he slipped through the door into the dimly lit room, looking around nervously at the poster plastered walls. As he watched Adam move over towards the bed, it occurred to him that he hadn't brought his sleeping bag. Though he tried to keep it in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but secretly entertain the notion of sleeping next to him, of letting his body meld with Adam's in a situation that was acceptable. Watching Adam throw the dark navy comforter back and smooth out the wrinkles in the sheets, his breath hitched sharply. It was pathetic how much he wanted his attention.

Jade wouldn't have said anything about it at all, but Adam broke the silence, tossing a brief glance over his shoulder. “Is it cool if we share a bed?”

“Huh?” Jade's head snapped up immediately, and he felt like a deer in headlights. It must've translated on his face because Adam's smile wavered, and his eyes dropped to the mattress like he felt guilty, embarrassed.

“You don't have to,” he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. “I just thought it'd be more comfortable.”

Although Jade's brain froze up, his mouth made up his mind for him. “Oh, um, sure.” Slowly, he ambled over to the side of the bed, eyes flicking up to meet Adam's for only a split second.

Adam offered him a small smile, which quickly dissipated when Jade failed to return it. Sinking into the edge of the bed and starting to pull his shirt off, Adam said, “You've been really weird lately.”

Feeling his heart thump uncomfortably in his throat, Jade swallowed hard, forcing himself to stay silent long enough to think as he began to undress as well. Finally trusting his tongue not to betray him, he asked, “What's that mean?”

Adam twisted and leaned over, rummaging through the pile of clothes at the end of his bed for a clean shirt. Finding one, he tugged it over his head, then ran his fingers through his hair to comb it back into place. “I dunno.” The answer wasn't comforting, and though Adam hadn't said what Jade had feared he would, it was written all over his face in the form of perplexed lines. “You've been jumpy. It's kind of like you're uncomfortable to be around me.” An earnest flash crossed Adam's face as he peered up at Jade with worried blue eyes, but the look quickly sank beneath the surface as he regained his reserved composure.

“Oh.” Jade found himself staring down at the dirty white carpet as he dug his toe into the fibers. Apparently he wasn't as good at pretending as he thought he'd been, and he knew he should just tell him already so they could move on with their lives, but that still wasn't a favorable option because he didn't know exactly how Adam would react. And his cowardice, his fear of the unknown, kept him from opening up that part of him just yet. So he just allowed an uneasy smile to overcome his features, and took careful steps towards the bed, deciding to let it go for the time being.

For a brief moment, all was right with the world. Adam seemed to drop the direction he'd been taking the conversation—perhaps finding it just too intimate or honest to vocalize—and he leaned over to click out the bedside lamp, leaving the room cloaked in casual darkness. A shiver ran down Jade's spine as the bed springs creaked under Adam's shifting weight, and then a soft, whispered voice called out to him through the thick blanket of the night.

“Come on.”

It was coaxing—perhaps desperate? Or was that just Jade's desperation coloring Adam's meaningless words? Whatever it was, it caused his heart to beat a little faster in anticipation, and he dropped his jeans, kicking them off and finally crawling between the cool covers to rest next to his friend. He settled down with a loud, drawn-out sigh, which Adam echoed. They lay still, side by side, not looking at each other and not seeing each other. And gradually Jade began to relax, began to forget the awkwardness and the tension and the sexual frustration, began to feel like he was making things difficult for himself when it didn't have to be that way. In the darkness, he distracted himself by trying to find colored shapes and imagined animals in the bursts and dots of purple swarming through the shadows as his eyes adjusted, and in the distance, a lone dog barked. The rusty orange light of a streetlamp drifted through the edge of the blinds in the corner, and he found himself fixated on that one sliver of brightness, on that one illumination and section of shadows.

He didn't know how long he lay there like that, but it must've been longer than he'd thought because when Adam whispered hoarsely to him, it was to ask, “You still awake?”

Blinking back the burning sensation, Jade shifted, and gradually turned to lie on his side, to stare at the form curled up next to him. A little smile twitched on his lips, and he propped himself up on his elbow. “Yeah, why?”

“Just wondering.” A moment of silence was only disrupted by the sound of a car driving by. “Hey, are you mad at me?”

There was a certain anxiety to his tone that made Jade's heart ache. Unconsciously, he wriggled closer until he felt their shared heat, and for once the sound of Adam's breathing set him more at ease. “No.” It sounded too loud for the small space, too thin and stretched and lonely. “I didn't mean it like that.”

“Oh.” It sounded crestfallen, momentarily uncertain. “Is something wrong?” Adam was sincere, but there was something about the question that seemed strange. And Jade couldn't explain the billowing feeling in the pit of his stomach, in the cavern of his chest, but it expanded and touched something in him that hurt, not unlike hitting his elbow against a sharp corner.

His lips parted, but for a long moment, nothing came out. Finally, he found his voice, and it was soft and weary. “No.” A beat as Adam shuffled closer, as their knees touched, as a jolt of electricity passed between them. “I just don't want to talk about it.” It was a pathetic, hurried attempt to cover up his reaction—but it was just enough.

“Mkay.” At least Adam had the respect to drop it, instead of pursuing it like Davey would’ve. That was one of the many reasons why Jade admired him.

And as Adam's breaths evened out into deeper sleep-breathing, Jade couldn't help but smile a little to himself, letting the feeling flutter in his chest, nursing it as he closed his eyes to the darkness to invite more darkness, and he lingered in the warm, clean-soap smell of Adam's skin. Maybe this game of his was stupid, he thought as he began to drift off as well. Maybe it was stupid but he couldn't end it just yet. However, if all went well, perhaps it wouldn't hurt to cut a little slack and enjoy himself more, like he was right now.


	2. Chapter 2: In a Hint of the Mischief to Come

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to update this last week, but I had a swamp-load of school work. I'm sorry about that. I'm also sorry this is so long. :P I did my best to cut parts and tried to keep it short, but I really didn't have the time to thoroughly go through the entire thing and cut multiple lines and paragraphs--only a few. I don't have the hours and hours to edit like I used to. Still, I'm generally satisfied with how this chapter turned out.
> 
> Disclaimer: These are mere characters based on the members of AFI (not the real members, duh). I do not own (except for Kelly and Briana); I do not make money. No disrespect, harm, or libel is intended; this never ever happened (and never will) as this is 100 percent fictitious.

The morning had gone by in a blur of half-conscious frenzied rushing of packing, driving, then flying. Jade hardly remembered it, actually. Sometime in the middle of the night, he'd woken up and been absolutely unable to get back to sleep no matter how hard he'd tried, and when he finally had gone back to sleep, it'd been nearly five in the morning. His insomnia was entirely to blame for the half-comatose state he'd been trapped in the rest of the morning. At least the long flight had offered him the luxury of three hours of solid napping. So by the time they were on their way to the hotel, he felt relatively fine.

Of course, that depended on the definition of _fine_. He still had eyestrain, and his eyes felt gritty and dry from sleeping with his contacts in. There was also that damned omnipresent nervousness, which had raised its ugly head again. This time it wasn't just Adam, but the whole deal in general. That wasn't to say it was all bad. He was looking forward to spending some time with Adam out on the beach—a little too much. Half of the butterflies came from being overly excited on an empty stomach, on a sleep deprived brain.

Currently, they were headed down a sandy stretch of grayed road that was lined with scattered palm trees, fast food joints, and stucco-ed high rises in pastel colors. On the left side, just past the buildings, was the ocean. And as he watched it pass by, he wished they were there already. The child-like wonder never wore off.

It took far longer than Jade would've liked to get to their hotel. After pulling into a parking lot next to a small, square-shaped building, Mr. and Mrs. Carson left them out in the car while they went to go pick up the room key. Already, with the air conditioning turned off, Jade felt like he was baking; the air here was far more humid than he was used to, making it feel about ten degrees hotter than it actually was. Craning his neck, he watched Mr. and Mrs. Carson take their place in line for the front desk, and he inwardly groaned. It looked like it would take ten minutes at least, and in the meantime, he and Adam were stuck out here instead of inside the nice, cool white interior of the office. Sighing, he fell back against the seat, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Adam's gaze was locked on him.

The heat in the metal enclosure might've been stifling, but Adam's stare was more so. Jade felt a prickling, tingling sensation building up on his skin, almost like goose bumps but not quite. He felt itchy, hot, far too uncomfortable. It was sweltering, and he felt like the pressure would suffocate him. Finally, he undid his seat belt and popped the door open, sliding out to stretch his legs. From behind him, he heard Adam opening his door as well, then the crunch of gravel as he approached him.

“It's really hot here,” Adam said lamely, and Jade couldn't help the way his lips twitched up in a smile; that had been what he was going to say.

“Yeah, bet the water feels nice,” Jade mused, imagining the slippery cool sensation. What a relief it’d be. “Want to go for a swim when we get to the place?”

Adam shrugged. “Sure. If they don't make us go to the grocery store.”

Jamming his hands in his pockets, Jade said with a pretense of mock-seriousness, “We can just ditch 'em.” He cocked a grin, and Adam returned it.

“We could ditch them right now,” Adam said, as though unsure of himself, as though testing the waters. He met Jade's eyes for security, for approval, this adventurous gleam lingering behind the placid blue. He didn't say it, but Jade knew he was daring him, knew he was asking, just by the way his lips twisted. _Wanna do it?_

There was a moment of hesitation. Jade's eyes darted from Adam's to the little building, then towards the ocean—and freedom. Adam tilted his head a bit to one side, watching hopefully. Now Jade didn't want to be a goody-goody, but he was a little worried about what Mr. and Mrs. Carson would think if they came outside and found them gone. They'd be worried—and reasonably so. Even knowing this, he couldn't shake the selfish inner voice that told him to seize the moment, to go for it. After all, how often did a chance like this crop up? He'd never done anything less than what was expected of him, and it was about time to change that, to do something spontaneous and irresponsible and impulsive. Wasn't that what teenagers were supposed to do?

He flicked a careful tongue out, slowly running it over chapped lips. “Yeah, we could.” He fingered a coin he found in the corner of his pocket, turning it over and over. “We'll just have to be quick about it.”

Adam's eyes sparkled, and the grin he cracked was worth it. The warmth spread across Jade's chest but it wasn't uncomfortable. He felt lighter now, like he'd done the right thing. “Yeah, let's split.” Adam turned around, tossing an anxious glance over his shoulder, as though checking to see if Jade were coming. “It'll only take five minutes, right?”

Judging by the way his voice wavered, he was having doubts. Jade didn't want to give it away, but he was feeling the same. At any rate, he wasn't going to let it get in his way, so he swallowed the feeling, looking over his shoulder as well to make absolutely sure Mr. and Mrs. Carson were preoccupied and wouldn't see them sneaking away. “Yeah,” he said in a whisper, somehow feeling as though they'd hear them otherwise. The hairs on the back of his neck rose, and his heart pounded hard enough to make his head rush. “Let's go.”

Carefully, quietly, they snuck around the side of the car, glancing worriedly back at the glass front of the building every so often. Anyone who looked at them would've thought they were up to no good, and in Jade's mind, they were. But despite his insecurities, he didn't want to abort the mission. He slipped in front of Adam when he balked, motioning for him to come on and hurry up. Adam obeyed, skittering after him across the hot, sandy parking lot towards the row of high rises that broke up the vast expanse of skyline. And as soon as they'd passed the farthest corner of the building, they broke out into a run.

By the time they'd jumped over one of the islands dividing the parking lot from the first building of the hotel, Jade's legs felt like jelly, and his lungs felt like they'd burst. He kept glancing wildly over his shoulder, so certain they were being followed, and he wouldn't feel any better until they'd made it down to the shore and back. Adam trailed close behind him, strides easy and long as he caught up. Soon, he'd surpassed Jade and made it past the hotel entrance and onto the paved way between buildings, jogging smoothly towards the wooden steps that led down to billowing dunes of sand. Panting, Jade fought to keep up with his own pace, fought to press forward.

Adam made it out onto the beach front, then stopped in the middle of the stretch, waiting for Jade to catch up to him. It tugged on Jade's heart to see him standing there, facing the wind, watching him. As he came down the steps and trudged through the heated sand, fighting to stomp through it before it dragged him down, he noticed Adam's expression; it was something he couldn't place with words, but it made him _feel_ too much, and his throat constricted, threatening to choke him. That look just made him want to touch him, made him want to run his thumb over those lips, trace every feature of his face before bending down to kiss him, to lick greedily at the space between his lips. Quickly, he chased the image out of his head before he got a boner. What terrible timing.

“You're too slow,” Adam complained, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Sorry,” Jade grumbled, “AP classes don't really give you much time to stay in shape.” He quirked a smile all the same, and Adam returned it.

Squinting into the bright light and scratching an elbow, Adam ambled lazily towards the water, and Jade fell into step beside him. “Bullshit,” he laughed. “Admit it. You just hate exercise.”

Jade couldn't fight the blush, but he did bite back the childish urge to stick his tongue out. Instead, he shrugged, giving in. “You got me.” He dragged his feet through the sand, enjoying the feel between his toes until it was no longer loose enough to do so.

“So you wanna just jump in or what?” Adam asked, stopping at the water's edge where the tide lapped the shoreline, leaving bubbles and delicate foam lace behind.

Jade opened his mouth to agree, then realized they would be found out if their clothes were wet. Ideally, the best thing to do would be to strip down completely naked, but they couldn't do that; there were other people on the beach. But holy _fuck_ he was hot, and the temptation of a refreshing dip refused to leave him. He gave in. “Yeah, but let's strip down.”

Adam didn't look convinced. “We can't just do that.”

“Sure we can,” Jade insisted. “No one will know it's our underwear, right? Besides, we can't go back there in wet clothes. They'll know.”

Adam chewed on a dirty, ragged hangnail. Jade held his breath; they didn't have time to really think about this. So as the moment dragged on, he started to squirm out of his shirt, tossing it to the sand. This seemed to be enough to get Adam moving because soon he, too, was stripping himself of his shirt and jeans. Jade couldn't help but watch his lean body reveal itself. Quickly, he looked in the opposite direction to keep Adam from realizing he was staring, but when he moved down to pick up his sneakers, he noticed Adam's eyes were fixed on his body as well. He felt his face flush, and a sudden wave of self-consciousness gripped him.

Adam's voice tore him from his thoughts. “Okay, let's do this.”

Sucking in a shaky breath, Jade tossed his shoes on top of their clothes, then moved towards the water. Adam didn't take it as slow as he did; instead, he ran into the crashing waves, splashing in and moving out farther and farther, fighting the breakers. Jade couldn't help but laugh as he watched Adam crane his neck so the spray didn't hit him in the eyes. He waded out slowly, and to his surprise, he found it was as warm as bath water. It didn't cool him down as much as he'd hoped it would, but that didn't take the thrill of it away.

By the time he was up to his calves, Adam was already much farther out, a small human-like toy amongst the clear blue of the water. It made Jade nervous to see him out there, wondering how deep it was and whether or not a rogue wave would come and sweep him away. And although he didn't want to go out that far—worrying that it might be over his head—he didn't want anything to happen to Adam. And even though he was no athlete—and disregarded the fact that Adam would probably be the one to save him—he still figured if something happened, like a shark attack, he could hold his own and keep Adam relatively safe. So he mirrored Adam's movements and glided through the water towards him, doing his best to ride along with the rolling waves.

Much to his relief, the water didn't get too much deeper. It seemed to be a flat plane up until the shelf, and it only got up just past his stomach. The water out here was calm, and he began to relax, realizing there was no real danger—unless, of course, a shark wanted to swim up and take a big bite out of his ankles. Already, there were small fish nibbling on his toes.

Adam swam a few wide circles, watching Jade awkwardly stand there with his arms folded over his chest. He came to a stop and swiped a hand over the surface, splashing Jade in the face. Sputtering as the burning sensation filled his eyes and nose, Jade ran his hands over his face in a frenzy, spewing curses. Adam just laughed at him, then came closer, patting him on the shoulder.

“Sorry about that,” he said, warm, golden tones to his voice.

“I hate you,” Jade grumbled, squinting over the heels of his hands. “You little fucker.”

Adam wore a shit-eating grin, lifting his hand and threatening to do it all over again. The irritation hit Jade in a rush, and he jumped on Adam's back, shoving him down towards the water and wrapping an arm around his neck in a headlock. An electric tingle went through him as soon as his chest was flush against Adam's back, and he relished the sensation, wishing he could drink it in to the fullest. They struggled for a moment until Jade finally prevailed, dunking Adam’s face down into the water. The victory didn't last long though before Adam bucked up, shoving him off his back and letting him fall with a glorious splash. For a moment, he panicked, fumbling around the briny water and the sand and two fleshy stumps as he tried to find his balance, tried to find which way was up. Eventually, he broke through the surface and gasped, coughing and wheezing as Adam's laughter broke through his clogged ears.

“That's what you get,” Adam said, stepping aside and dodging Jade as he lunged for him.

“Get back here.” Jade chased after him. Part of him was spurred on by the need to teach him a lesson; part of him used this as an excuse, overcome by the need to touch him, to initiate more contact. Bare skin against bare skin had felt too deliriously good.

Adam just stuck his tongue out teasingly, eyes sparkling as he avoided Jade's every attempt to capture him. Finally, Jade gave up, this awful anxious feeling clenching his stomach again as he realized they'd been out for far too long. It must've shown on his face because Adam's grin slowly faded, and he started to look worried as well.

“We should get back.” Jade plunged into the water, heading towards shore.

“Do you think they noticed?” Adam asked, out of breath as he moved to swim besides Jade.

Jade took a few gulps of air, regulating his strokes, before he answered. “Possibly.” At the moment he spoke, he got a mouthful of bitter sea water. Grimacing, he spit it out.

The two rode the breakers all the way back to shore. They hit the sand trotting, and hurried over to their pile of clothes. Jade shook the water off his skin the best he could, ignoring Adam's snickers and under-the-breath comments about how he looked like a dog. He squeezed the fabric of his boxers out to rid of the excess water, hoping it wouldn't bleed through his jeans and make him look like he'd pissed himself. Hurriedly, he pulled his clothes on, and Adam did the same. They shook the sand off their shoes and tugged them on, breaking into a run as soon as they were finished.

Adrenaline pushed them as they found their way up the beach front and back to the wooden staircase. The last few steps were the most tortuously slow, but once they were back on a solid surface, they ran faster, and this time Jade's anxiety helped him match his stride with Adam's. They rushed across the parking lot and skidded to a stop just by the car, flinging open the doors and sliding in, shutting them as quietly as possible.

They sat still for several moments, breathing hard. Jade felt like his heart was about to burst through his ribs, and he leaned his head against the back of the seat, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried to relax. They might've seen them because they hadn't been careful in their hurry to get back into the car; he didn't want to open his eyes to find out. What was worse, the run back had made him feel hot all over again, despite the lingering dampness on his skin. The humidity and the lack of ventilation only made it feel like they hadn't gone at all, and his wet boxers were beginning to get really sticky and uncomfortable.

“Hey.” Adam's hoarse voice brought him out of his thoughts, and he forced himself to lift his head, forced himself to crack his eyes open.

“What?”

“I think we got away with it.” Adam's face broke out into a smile, and he jerked his head towards the office.

When Jade looked up, he noticed that Mr. and Mrs. Carson still had their backs turned, and were at the desk talking with an employee. He snickered, and slapped Adam's hand as he held it out. “Awesome.”

“That was so worth it.” Adam dropped his hand, leaning back into the seat and adjusting his seat belt.

And despite the risk, Jade had to agree. He nodded, turning to look out the window at the passing cars out on the main street. When he glanced briefly back at Adam, the words left his lips but he didn't take them back; he didn't regret anything they'd done.

“Hey, we got to do that again.”

“We will,” Adam assured him, eyes dancing.

–

They got to their hotel room on the 14th floor of the beach resort sometime in the late afternoon. Beforehand, they'd been subjected to a “ride around the block,” as Mr. Carson had put it, but it ended up being more like a ride around town, just to get familiar with the place. Sitting in wet pants was one of the worst parts about it, and Jade squirmed the entire time; however, it was unnoticed by Mr. and Mrs. Carson, so he wasn't about to complain.

Even when they got out of the car in the parking deck, gathering as many items as they could by hand and putting the rest on the cart, it still went unnoticed. Secret glances were exchanged, and Adam continued to smirk, continued to look proud of himself, proud of _them_. And something inside Jade fluttered with the same brand of pride; he shared those looks and those smiles, and something about them made him feel closer to Adam, made him feel bonded to him in a way that wasn't quite as brotherly as it probably should've been. They kept their bags in front of them and situated just so to hide their pants, and it was lucky because Jade found himself stirring, hardening. He wanted nothing more than to pin Adam against the elevator wall and kiss him dizzy up until they arrived to their floor.

Their room was at the end of the hall. It was large and airy, furnished in whites and yellows and blues, accented with tropical décor like seashells and paintings of sea creatures. The floors were made of cool, white tile, wonderful to walk on when feet were dirty and hot from the sand. To one side of the entrance was the master bedroom; the other side lead to the kitchen, living room, and balcony. And there was a flight of stairs leading up from the living room to another floor. They soon learned their bedroom was up there, and just knowing that he would be sharing a bedroom with Adam, away from his parents, made Jade's stomach leap, his mouth dry with anticipation.

The bedroom wasn't too shabby. It was carpeted, and there were two twin beds covered in leaf-patterned bedspreads. There was a nightstand between them and three windows above them, and a television in the corner, on top of a chest of drawers. There were two doors next to the entrance—one opened to a closet, and the other to a small bathroom. Jade decided he liked it a lot; he almost wished they were moving here. He threw his suitcase on one of the beds, claiming it as his own. Then, he started to wriggle out of his pants, letting them pool around his ankles before kicking them off. Adam dropped his bags at the end of his bed, averting his eyes for a noticeable moment.

“Wanna go exploring?” he asked suddenly, eyes again sliding in Jade's direction.

“Exploring what?” Jade asked dumbly, searching through his luggage for another pair of pants.

“The grounds, duh.” Adam's lips twitched in a smile, and he began to strip himself of his pants as well.

Again, Jade glanced in his direction, heart beating too fast as Adam's legs were revealed. His eyes trailed up to the thin, wet fabric of Adam's boxers, which were clinging to his body and leaving nothing to the imagination. In a flash, he found himself imagining that body and those hips pressed against his own, and that cock pressed against his ass. It was all he could do to bite back the moan.

Feebly, he nodded, forcing himself back into normalcy. “That sounds fun.”

He must've looked weird because Adam gave him a funny look. However, he didn't say anything about whatever he found wrong—which might've been Jade's hard-on that was all too visible with his pants off. “Okay. We'll tell Mom and Dad in a minute.”

Adam fished out a new pair of boxers and a pair of shorts. Jade felt his breath hitch in his throat as he realized what was about to happen. His stomach dropped down to his knees as Adam stripped himself of his boxers, completely exposed. And Jade couldn't help but stare out of the corner of his eye. He felt the heat rushing to his face, especially when he noticed that Adam was half hard. It was too much, and he didn't feel comfortable doing the same because he was _completely_ hard. Something about being naked felt more vulnerable, despite the fact that Adam had already seen it.

Turning his back to Adam, he moved as quickly as he could to swap one pair of boxers out with the other. He snatched his baggiest jeans from his luggage, pulling those up in record time. As soon as he'd gotten them zipped and buttoned, he felt better, like his secret was safely hidden.

When he turned around, he found that Adam was fully dressed—and giving him another strange glance, biting back the smirk. “You're wearing jeans out on the beach?”

“Why not?” Jade retorted, though he felt self-conscious again. Of course it was weird. He should've known nothing would get past Adam.

Adam just shrugged, turning and heading towards the door. Hurriedly, Jade snatched a black T-shirt and pulled it on, taking a moment to stop in front of the mirror and smooth his hair before bounding down the stairs.

“There you are.” Mrs. Carson caught him by the arm before he'd so much as rounded the corner. “I was just telling Adam that we were going to the grocery store to stock up for the week. Is there anything you want us to bring you?”

Jade swallowed, shaking his head. “No, ma'am.”

“All right. Well, you boys can go down by the pool if you'd like. Just be sure not to lose the key!” She fished around in her purse, finally producing a key card with a beach scene printed on the front. Pressing it into Jade's hand, she threw a playful wink in Adam's direction and said, “You're more responsible, so I'm trusting you with it. Have fun.”

“Uh, we will.” Jade's grin turned to a slight grimace as Mrs. Carson pulled him into a half-hug. Sometimes he swore she loved him like he was one of her own children.

“We'll be back by six.” Mrs. Carson said, pulling away and looking at them both. “There's some money on the dresser if you need it. You can stay out but be back before midnight.”

“Mkay,” Adam agreed, but he shot Jade a look over her shoulder, and Jade understood that Mrs. Carson's instruction _wasn't_ mandatory. His stomach sloshed, and part of him wanted to talk Adam out of it, wanted to tell him they should just listen, but he knew he'd do whatever Adam asked him to.

Mr. and Mrs. Carson left them then, and once the door was locked, Adam sauntered down the hall into his parents' bedroom. At first, Jade was curious, but when he came back with a few dollars, he understood. He grinned weakly, and followed Adam out the front door.

They took the elevator down to the first floor, then walked in silence to the beach front. Jade wasn't really looking where he was going; he kept his head down and his hands stuffed in his pockets, watching his feet as they sunk into the sand. They walked a ways in silence. Jade wanted to strike up a conversation, but he just couldn't think of anything to say. Instead, his mind kept rewinding to the moment that Adam had stood in the middle of the bedroom, completely naked, eyes glittering and wandering over to Jade. In his warped memory, they looked inviting, like he secretly wanted Jade to join him, to come closer, to touch him.

Jade would've continued this thought had he not looked up and realized Adam was no longer beside him. Confused, he looked around, finding he was nowhere in sight. A bubble of concern rose up inside him, and he whirled around, ready to hurry back in the direction he'd come if he had to. And though there was no evidence of it, he couldn't help but worry it was because of something he'd (unconsciously) done. Nibbling on his lower lip, he scanned the beach frantically, searching for the face that was permanently ingrained in his memory by feeling and feeling alone, trying to pick it out of the sea of blank, forgettable faces before him.

It took a moment but he finally spotted him, standing on higher ground next to a girl with sun-kissed blonde hair and a volleyball tucked under her arm. She was laughing; he was grinning sheepishly and kicking at the sand, arms crossed over his chest. Jade's stomach sank. Of course he would ditch him to talk to her. For a moment, the disappointment was enough to hurt, but he swallowed the lead choking sensation, walked slowly back towards them with all intention of giving Adam the benefit of a doubt.

“Hey,” he called out, voice coming across the large space between them in too many miserable tones. “Why'd you ditch me?”

“Oh, sorry about that.” Adam's smile wavered, like he was uncertain of himself, like he was faking the whole thing. At least, that's what Jade derived from it. Whether or not that was the truth, he couldn't be sure because his feelings were too big, and his bias was too dark, coloring the whole situation in an unfavorable light. He hated it when that happened. Adam brought his attention back to him by speaking again, jabbing a thumb to the volleyball net and brunette girl behind him. “I was just getting their ball for them. I'm surprised you didn't notice.”

Jade sucked in a little breath, holding it for a moment before letting it out. Adam's eyes were sincere, and he admitted to himself that he'd zoned out too much to notice anything. “Oh, well, I was just thinking.” He stared back down at his toes buried in the warm sand.

“That's cool,” Adam said, shrugging it off.

“So, what's your name?” the girl asked suddenly.

Jade didn't realize she was speaking to him until a long stretch of silence met him, and he quickly brought his eyes up to meet hers, face flushing. “Oh, uh, I'm Jade,” he said awkwardly. “And you?”

“I'm Briana,” she answered, smiling. She turned, gesturing towards the girl with dark, curly hair who sat on the sand behind them. “That's my friend Kelly.”

He felt more awkward as Kelly waved in his direction, and out of obligation, he returned it. Shooting an anxious look in Adam's direction, he wondered if he wanted to stay, if he wanted to continue to talk with the girls. It didn't appear like he was going to leave anytime soon.

“So do you wanna play doubles?” Briana asked. “Adam and I were just talking about it.”

Shifting uncomfortably, he glanced from her to Adam. He wasn't too hot on the idea—he didn't really like sports—but Adam was giving him this pleading look, and he all but drowned in the depths of his deep blue eyes. How could he say no to that? Swallowing hard, he nodded, voice coming out cracked and split, like it was coated in mucus. “Yeah, sure. It sounds fun.”

That was a flat-out lie and both he and Adam knew it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Adam biting his lip to conceal his laughter. All he could manage was a soft little knuckle-bump against Adam's shoulder that was more affectionate than it was punishing, and he stalked up the hill to where Kelly sat making patterns in the sand with her fingers.

Much to his dismay, it was agreed that he and Adam were to be on opposing teams. It had been Kelly's brilliant idea; she'd said it was only fair, since she and Briana actually played volleyball at their high school here in Panama City Beach, and they would surely crush the boys if they were on the same team together. To Jade, it all sounded like bullshit. Maybe that was just because he was worried Adam might be attracted to Briana, but then again, she didn't seem to be too taken by him, so he really had no reason to feel the way he did. But he couldn't help it. She was a pretty girl; who wouldn't want to be with her? And even if she didn't reciprocate any feelings Adam might hypothetically have for her over the course of ten minutes, that didn't mean that she wasn't a threat to Jade's carefully harbored crush. Regardless, she would be taking Adam's attention and—

He felt ridiculous thinking back on it. There was no reason to dwell on it, when it was most likely all in his head. His inattention cost him a well-deserved smack in the face, courtesy of the volleyball.

Despite their efforts to even things up, the division proved to be unfair in the end. Jade was a poor-ass, sucky player, having not played since ninth grade in gym class. He hardly remembered half the rules, and three-fourths of the time-outs were called on his behalf. Kelly was a good player, but she couldn't make up for his stupid mistakes, like whenever he instinctively ducked when the ball came sailing his way, or how he half-heartedly smacked at it whenever he did make contact with it. It most always fell on the wrong side of the net, and it grew past the point of earning Kelly's girlish giggles. Near the end of the game, she was sighing in exasperation, trying to force his gangly arms into the right pose, trying desperately to instruct him on how he should be standing. It was of no use. Jade wasn't interested in winning at all.

On the flip side, Adam and Briana made a fierce team. They both played to win, and that was exactly what happened. Four times. Jade could hardly keep up even to save face, and by the final defeat, both he and Kelly had had enough.

“Let's call it a day,” Kelly sighed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear only to have it whipped back in her face by the wind. She looked irritated, embarrassed. And with good reason too. Jade's final defeat had landed him way out of bounds.

“Fine by me,” Briana agreed, reaching down to pick up the ball. “But you're buying my milkshake tonight since you lost.”

Kelly groaned, throwing her head back. She turned to gather her beach towel and tote, shooting Jade a dirty look as she passed him. “I ought to make you pay for it since you're the one who fouled the game.” Jade's mature response was to stick his tongue out at her. She rolled her eyes and dug a cover up out of her bag, starting to pull it over her swim suit.

“Hey,” Briana spoke up as she slipped her flip-flops on. “You guys wanna join us? We're going down to Pizza Harbor.”

Jade opened his mouth to politely decline; he was already feeling sore and sunburned and every other ounce of discomfort, and all he wanted to do was just go back to the room and collapse in a heap on his bed. But, again, Adam wasn't going to let him crawl off and be anti-social.

“Sure. I'm starving.”

Adam cocked a grin in Jade's direction, and he knew he couldn't say no. Sighing, he gave into the defeat and followed the trio up the sandy bank towards the wooden walkway, where they quickly showered the sand off with ice-cold water. Then they headed off to the parking lot, wrapped in towels and shivering and laughing.

The night was falling upon them fast; by the time they were walking down the side of the street far too close to the traffic that whizzed past them, heavy, thick gray clouds had gathered at the horizon, and the sky was streaked with angry red-orange and purple plumes. The wind had picked up, whipping their towels and hair around them with aggressive breath. All signs pointed towards a storm brewing.

It took about fifteen minutes to get to the restaurant. It was a small, stand-alone joint outlined against the sea-front, parking lot fenced off with aged wooden posts and strings of nautical rope connecting them. Even though the inside was dimly lit, the atmosphere old and dingy with ship's steering wheels as chandeliers and dark wooden paneling on the walls, it was a relief to come inside from the heavy, sting-smell of rain and salt. It was warm and old-fashioned and lively, and the tantalizing smell of home-cooked pizza greeted them.

They tromped to the back and slipped into an empty booth—Adam and Briana claiming one end, leaving Jade and Kelly to sit together on the other. Jade felt awkward again, and ignored the chatter of conversation that erupted among the group, instead choosing the comfortable companionship of the flip-menu. It was going to be a long evening.

The waiter came and took their orders just as the first, fat drops of rain began to spatter against the large window panes overlooking the ocean. Jade spent awhile staring out over the gray, choppy sea, focused on a lone boat tied up at the dock. He sympathized with it, knowing how it felt to bob up and down and yearn for the freedom, for the love of his ocean, and to have it so close so close _so close_ —yet never be able to taste it. His mood was spiraling downwards far too quickly, and if it wasn't for the arrival of their pizzas, he would've gone far beyond the stage of brooding into full-blown self-pity.

It was just when he was in the middle of taking a big chomp out of his first piece of hot, gooey pizza when he saw Adam's eye following something. Curious, he looked up just in time to catch the burning stoic gaze of the boy—the man?—who'd just walked in. He was heavily tattooed, and his denim jacket was littered with too many punk rock patches. Glancing back at Adam with an arched eyebrow, he re-traced the gaze to see what it was that he was looking at. His heart jumped in his throat, his breath caught, when he realized the stare wasn't to decipher which punk bands he advertised, but to linger on his full lips. He had to admit, he was staring too. Despite this boy's rough-and-tumble appearance, he was one of the most beautiful men Jade had seen.

Adam's voice tore him from his admiration. “Who's that?” It wasn't spoken in idle curiosity; Jade noted the poorly disguised interest.

“Hm?” Briana stopped stuffing her face with cheese pizza long enough to glance over. She swallowed, wiping some sauce off her cheek with a thumb. “Oh, him? That's Nick 13.”

“He lives here too?” Jade hadn't realized he'd been the one to say it until all eyes were on him.

“Nah,” Briana replied, licking the pizza sauce from her fingers. “He blows into town this time every year. I've talked to him once or twice. He seems like a pretty nice guy.”

“Yeah, that's what she says because she likes him,” Kelly piped up, earning a whiny ' _I do not_ ' from Briana. “Actually, he's okay, but he's tough. If I were you, I'd stay out of his way.”

“Bullshit,” Adam scoffed, putting his feet up on the opposite booth, on either side of Jade's legs. Jade nearly choked on his piece of pizza at the contact. “You're just saying that to scare us.” He forced a laugh that was too sharp, too loud. Jade saw the uncertainty in his eyes though, and it was enough to calm his heavily thumping heart into a more bearable pace.

Pressing her lips tightly together and arching both eyebrows, Kelly pulled the flip-menu towards her. “I'm serious, dude. Don't get in his way. He'll screw you up.”

“Um, yeah. Sure.” Despite his words, Adam was beginning to look uneasy, and Jade couldn't blame him. He was also getting this gnawing, apprehensive feeling in his gut. But that didn't quell the fiery curiosity, and he snuck another peek in Nick's direction.

“Yeah, whatever,” Briana sighed, picking the cheese off her slice of pizza. “I still say he's harmless.”

“Maybe to you,” Kelly retorted. “But I've seen him fight. My brother—”

“Okay, okay, I get it. He's a bad guy. Whatever.” Briana held her hands up in defeat, then pressed her fingers to her temples, groaning. “ _God_.”

Adam and Jade could only exchange a confused glance, but before either could ask about it, Kelly quickly—and wisely—changed the topic to their upcoming summer vacation in Hawaii. It did little to soothe Jade or make him forget what he'd seen, what he'd heard. And when Nick craned his neck to glance over at their table again, he caught Adam's eye; Jade saw it, and he recognized the look. Whether it was good or not, well, he just couldn't say for sure. He couldn't shake the feeling that it was both, and it wasn't until Nick got up and paid his bill that he could relax, thinking that perhaps they'd dodged the bullet this time.


End file.
